[QUOTE=Zach;1124579]
If it takes a month to lose a pound then something is wrong, i dont care what age or gender.[/QUOTE]

Nothing is wrong if the body is in healing mode. There is always a good reason for fat loss stalls and sometimes all that is needed is patience.

03-13-2013, 09:46 AM

Zach

[QUOTE=Dragonfly;1124614]Nothing is wrong if the body is in healing mode. There is always a good reason for fat loss stalls and sometimes all that is needed is patience.[/QUOTE]

No doubt, one should not be trying to lose fat if they need to heal first. My comments are made based on her trying to lose fat. Hense why i said something is wrong as in needs fixing.

03-13-2013, 09:57 AM

spuggygirl

It's the same for me. I will steadily drop lbs for a couple of weeks, then nothing for a couple of weeks, a hormonal gain and then it gradually drops roughly down to where it was before.

A couple of months ago I had a big hormonal gain of 2 kilos which didn't seem to want to go away and stuck around for about 4 or 5 weeks. Really frustrating, but eventually it disappeared.

The weird thing with me is that, even when the scales are not moving and even measurements don't seem to be changing, it seems that every so often I will look in the mirror or try on clothes that didn't fit before and all of a sudden there seems to be huge changes in body comp. Perhaps it's just that I often don't look at myself in the mirror properly, but it can seem that these big changes almost happen overnight.

03-13-2013, 10:04 AM

magnolia1973

[QUOTE]Hense why i said something is wrong as in needs fixing. [/QUOTE]

I bet that tomorrow, I could go do slim fast and lose a pound or 3 in a week, but it would come back as soon as I ate normally again. (been there, done that).

I just feel like for fat loss, I need to expand my timeline (and maybe others do as well). The key about this round of weight loss is that it has been sustainable. (IE, I get to a point and stay there unless I bloat). In the past, it was not sustainable. But this route is much slower, and just, well, weird. If this was a normal diet and I stalled for a month or two, I'd say (&^&&% it and move on. But now I say (*^&^&^^ it and just keep eating primal.

Which makes me wonder, is fat loss less about "creating a deficit and burning fat for fuel" or is it more about the body becoming more stabilized with nutrients and less full of toxins and releasing fat? Like I imagine many, many overweight women ate for years like I did- a relatively low calorie diet full of nutrient void foods, topped off with some chemical toxins and we put on fat not due to eating excess fuel, but to somehow trap toxins and protect ourselves? And that when I did lose weight, it was never really fat, just muscle?

03-13-2013, 10:34 AM

teach2183

I think the female cycle also has a lot to do with this. For me, just when I would hope to lose weight, I head into the second half of my cycle and retain extra water. After my period starts, I see that weight loss of a couple pounds. It is never linear for me and I can go months without losing weight although my clothes fit better.

Grok didn't have a scale or tape measure. If you're feeling good and looking better, who cares what any statistical matters say. I laugh at the scale now because it seems to be playing a joke on me.

I bet that tomorrow, I could go do slim fast and lose a pound or 3 in a week, but it would come back as soon as I ate normally again. (been there, done that).

I just feel like for fat loss, I need to expand my timeline (and maybe others do as well). The key about this round of weight loss is that it has been sustainable. (IE, I get to a point and stay there unless I bloat). In the past, it was not sustainable. But this route is much slower, and just, well, weird. If this was a normal diet and I stalled for a month or two, I'd say (&^&&% it and move on. But now I say (*^&^&^^ it and just keep eating primal.

Which makes me wonder, is fat loss less about "creating a deficit and burning fat for fuel" or is it more about the body becoming more stabilized with nutrients and less full of toxins and releasing fat? Like I imagine many, many overweight women ate for years like I did- a relatively low calorie diet full of nutrient void foods, topped off with some chemical toxins and we put on fat not due to eating excess fuel, but to somehow trap toxins and protect ourselves? And that when I did lose weight, it was never really fat, just muscle?[/QUOTE]

I bet that tomorrow, I could go do slim fast and lose a pound or 3 in a week, but it would come back as soon as I ate normally again. (been there, done that).

I just feel like for fat loss, I need to expand my timeline (and maybe others do as well). The key about this round of weight loss is that it has been sustainable. (IE, I get to a point and stay there unless I bloat). In the past, it was not sustainable. But this route is much slower, and just, well, weird. If this was a normal diet and I stalled for a month or two, I'd say (&^&&% it and move on. But now I say (*^&^&^^ it and just keep eating primal.

Which makes me wonder, is fat loss less about "creating a deficit and burning fat for fuel" or is it more about the body becoming more stabilized with nutrients and less full of toxins and releasing fat? Like I imagine many, many overweight women ate for years like I did- a relatively low calorie diet full of nutrient void foods, topped off with some chemical toxins and we put on fat not due to eating excess fuel, but to somehow trap toxins and protect ourselves? And that when I did lose weight, it was never really fat, just muscle?[/QUOTE]

How much fat do you have to lose? Whats a typical day of eating?

I agree with your last paragraph. Fat loss only works long term when the body is healthy enough to let go of fat. Sure you can starve fat off yourself but that will never work to keep the fat off.

03-13-2013, 11:37 AM

imgliniel

Here is an intersting thought/possible mechanism for this kind of sporadic pattern. So I really like Chris Kressers inflamation model of obesity. That lots of internal inflamation (caused by diets high in inflamatory/toxin and antinutrient rich foods, he really hates o6 seed oils) is going to affect hormon secretion, fat storage, how many callories you burn at rest, etc etc. and then I think it was Ray Peat who doesn't want you to burn body fat because you have been spending all your life storing away the wrong kinds of fats and toxins and crap in those fat cells). So think of this senario/timeline.....

You have spent most of your life eating crappy SAD food, super high omega 6 ratio, no omega 3's, plenty of antinutrients and toxins, and storing it all in your fat cells. Suddenly you switch to a primal/paleo diet. now your body, hormone balance, gut health, metabolism etc can all heal and start functioning the way it should. You don't lose any weight while the body is in healing mode. rebalancing everything and sucking up all the wonderfull nutrients you are suddenkly feeding it. Now everything is normal and your metabolism is back to a place of being able to burn body fat readily when neccessary. BOOM! there's your 5 lb loss overnight. However, now you just released 5 lbs of highly inflamatory junk left over from your sad days into your system. Now you are inflamed and unable to be metabolically flexible and burn body fat, you are lighter, but kinda back where you started. Now you start rebalanceing, you don't lose while your body is in healing mode.....

repeat cycle every few months or however long your body takes to heal until all the crap has been cleared from your fat cells.

this is a theory I just thought of and I am not a scientist or Dr, so take it for what it is, lol.

03-13-2013, 11:43 AM

magnolia1973

Umm, I'd say I have 20-30 lbs of fat to lose. 173 as of today, 5'6. I do a cross fit type class 3x a week. I carry my fat in my legs and arms, not a lot of fat around my core. I also have a lot of muscle in my legs and arms.

Typical day of eating:
2-3 eggs, some type of veggie (asparagus, spinach), small piece of fruit, maybe some bacon, chicken or turkey sausage (I read labels so no gluten etc.). Coffee with 1-2 T of coconut milk. I use maybe 1/2 T of butter to cook the stuff

Lunch varies, but typically a lot of lean protein. Today was a salad with 6 oz of chicken breast, artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes and maybe 1/2 T of olive oil. Some days I just have a couple of boiled eggs and turkey. Sometimes I throw in fruit (particularly on cross fit day).

Dinner is generally grilled meat in some form (chicken, lamb, steak), cooked with no extra fat. Sides vary, but generally a veggie prepared with about 1/2 T of fat. 2-3 times a week, there might be a sweet potato or winter squash. Maybe 2 times a month, potatoes or rice. I often have fruit if I didn't have any at lunch.

I rarely "snack". I might have a snack 1-2 times a week and it is generally either an egg of some sort or a small amounts of nuts like 20 almonds. 2-3 times a month I have a more serious snack- like yesterday I ate a regular muffin (grain based treats are really rare for me- like once every couple months), sometimes something like a paleo cake or ice cream (I just realized I have not had ice cream since September...). I stay conscious of the calories - for example, if I have a paleo cake for dessert, I would not have a sweet potato and would prepare my veggies with minimal fat at dinner.

In the past year, I have had maybe 5-6 meals that went completely off the primal path and included something like pizza, a hamburger, thanksgiving food and...LOL alcohol. I don't drink very often (few times a year), but when I do it is usually vodka and club soda, never beer.

03-13-2013, 12:09 PM

Black Timber

Your diet seems awesome! You are definitely a foodie though (not that there is anything wrong with that!) My guess at first glance is that you are probably eating at or near maintenance for your current weight. Keeping in mind that it seems that biologically we are predisposed to holding onto fat. If I were you I would try tracking my calories for a few weeks, just to see where I am. You seem happy and healthy - not sure you really need to do anything.

I was listening to a Rob Wolf podcast the other day and he said something that makes a lot of sense. Do not focus on the scale (in fact through it away, or give it to your worst enemy). Focus instead on performance goals. If you meet your goals then everything will take care of itself. It could be your mile time, how much you can squat or anything you want. After hearing that I made a short list of attainable goals and have been avoiding the scale.